“Wait…what?” The words escaped my mouth before I had even time to ponder what I had just read. There was definitely no other way to react. Dozens of words rushed into my head to help me find a proper word to describe this situation. It was…awful. Revolting. Heart-wrenching. Interesting? I was plagued by the curiosity which has always resided in me. I wanted to know more. This little vague little letter, void of anything but a few simple sentences, had single-handedly turned my life upside-down in the few minutes it had taken me to read it.
A couple minutes earlier
I heard a rustling at the door. I sighed. Who could it possibly be? It’s too early for Derpy, and she rings the doorbell anyways. I threw off my cloud-covers and trotted down the stairs, snorting.
“Whoever you are, you’d better be here for a good reas--on?”
Nopony was at the there. Instead, an envelope was laid half under my door. It looked ripped, as if it were hastily thrown together. On top of that, the wispy part of the cloud was still drifting lazily about.
Think, Rainbow. What would leave that?
I took another look at the clouds.
I’ve got it!
The deliverer had obviously just flown off, leaving the cloud momentarily disturbed.
Heh! Still got it.
I picked up the envelope and shut the door.
It wasn’t even properly sealed. Somepony had been in a rush to deliver this.
Time to take a look inside.
Without further ado, I opened the envelope.
Inside was a letter.
Dear Rainbow Dash,
You probably don’t know me. I don’t even know you. Well…formally. But I must convey a message to you. This is quite hard to put into words. Ponies…well, not ponies, people, write…stories. Involving you and your friends. Hay, sometimes they involve ponies that don’t exist. Characters of their own creation. They think us ponies are fictional. What I’m trying to say, is, well, ahem…the stories, fiction, they call it, involve very bad things. Most of the time, these things only happen to you and your friends. They write about you falling in love with each other, and being in funny situations, such as having incurable hiccups. But, there is a dark side. Some write about you and your friends in wars, killing legions of beings. Oh, and it doesn’t stop there. They make you kill each other.
A shiver ran down my spine. These…people…wrote about my friends and me murdering each other? Why would they do that? This was terrible…and little did I know that the worst was yet to come.
They make some of you witness events that drive you insane. Some depict your friends as having a secret dark side. One such story involves Pinkie skinning you alive to make cupcakes. Another puts Cherilee against her students as she picks them off one by one during a school play. Some of these people even make you commit suicide. Our happy, go-lucky world is turned into a battleground by these so-called authors. Do you want to know the worst part?
I braced myself.
It’s all done for their entertainment.
I couldn’t read any more of this. I threw the letter away and burst out of my house, looking around frantically. I needed to tell someone. Anyone. No one? I walked back in and picked up the letter. “Okay, Rainbow, keep it together,” I muttered to myself. I turned the letter over to read the end.
Not all these are bad. Some are, in fact, quite interesting, even fun.
I stumbled back in revulsion. How could this pony enjoy these stories! They’re sick!
I’m sorry to force this upon you, but I had to tell somepony, and you’re the closest thing I have to a friend.
Now I was confused.
“Wait…what?”
Present
I don’t just want more examples. I want to know why these ‘people’ do this. Why is it entertaining for them to depict us as murderous psychopaths with no feelings? Why do they write horrible, violent stories with no good end, instead of funny, epic, or enthralling stories? These ‘people’ sound cruel. Why would I write a story about Daring Do that involves her splattering brutally on the ground after falling off a cliff? See what I mean? It’s ridiculous. When I start liking a character, I don’t immediately think I should violently murder them in a story. Is this how ‘people’ portray love? Also, how am I the closest thing to a friend that this pony has? He said in the beginning of the letter that I don’t know him. Is he a…secret admirer? A stalker? My mind was overloaded with questions. I looked again at the letter. It was not signed with a name, but rather with a vague picture. It was of a heart with a piece of black yarn circling it. The yarn’s ends met in a knot. Below, there was a poem.
The string and the heart
What do they mean?
The one who plays music will give you the key
She is always found with a tree
Full circle you’ll come
To madness you’ll succumb
Until your sanity as been scrubbed clean.
Dear Celestia, that last part gave me the chills! That was an awful poem, too.
Wait…how’s my sanity going to be scrubbed clean by a tree? Heh, heh. Rainbow Dash and tree: the epic battle. I suppose it is a possibility. I mean, to fight a tree, you’d have to be pretty insane.
Yet, through all these comedic thoughts, I was still scared. That awfully rhymed poem sounded more like an ominous prophecy. That didn't sound good. I couldn't ignore the cold, empty feeling I got while rereading it.
Okay, Rainbow, think. A Pegasus pony lands on my porch and shoves a badly sealed envelope under my door. When it hears I'm coming, it flies away. So...the Pegasus was in a rush. It had to hastily throw together the last part of the letter, and didn't even have enough time to seal the envelope properly. It didn't want me to see it to know who it is, but instead wanted me to find it using the clues it gave me. It wants me to think.
I smiled.
Oh, I'll think more than you want.
(A/N) This is my first fiction, as you have most likely read in the description. I hope it wasn't a bad ending. Also, I know that the poem was awful. I'm really horrible at rhyming, even with an online rhyming dictionary. I apologize for that. I'm not going to post more until I get feedback, because I want to know what to do next! I have a rough plot outline, but it needs refining.
Chilly. Clean. A slight breeze pushed the late fall air towards her face through the open window. Icy. Cold. As the wind passed over her, she sneezed in her sleep. Chuckles. Laughing.
===============================================================
I slept fitfully. Reading creepy letters before bed is really not a good idea. All night, my brain flashed images of myself being gutted by Pinkie. She jabbed a knife into my stomach, and turned the knife in a circle. I couldn't feel the pain, but I was panicking. I sneezed, and Pinkie donned a crazed smile. My breath quickened. Right then, there was a noise. It sounded like...laughing. I looked at Pinkie, but her mouth was closed. It was uncharacteristic of anyone I knew. It sounded like a stallion's voice put through a fan blade. With a massive effort, I sat up, and the dream faded around me. All except for one thing: the chuckling. It stopped short as it saw me wake up. I was facing to the right, towards my wall. I felt a breeze from my left.
A breeze...?
I turned around slowly. Slowly...I couldn't look. No, I had to force myself. I snapped my head around and stared at the window. It was wide open, with the curtains waving as more wind blew in. That was where I saw it. The cloud wisps.
===============================================================
It was early. The sun had barely risen. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't go back to sleep. Someone had just broken into my house. That's not exactly something you can ignore.
I sighed. There wasn't anything I could do.
Except...
I smiled, remembering what I had thought last night.
Oh, I'll think more than you want.
===============================================================
Here we go, I thought.
After hiding the letter behind the cabinet in my room, I prepared to fly into Ponyville. I was still in my bedroom, about to leave, when I thought, maybe I should check the window.
No, said the other half of my brain. You'll find the answers in Ponyville.
I turned toward my door, about to leave again, when I felt that nagging feeling in the back of my head.
You win this time, subconscious.
I sighed and turned again to the scene of the crime. I leaped up into the windowsill. The breeze, constant since I had woken up, gently brushed my face. It was a warm day, and the breeze was pleasant. At least, it was until I saw the hair.
It was a light pink hair. It was long and smooth, so it was most likely from a mane, but there's a chance it could be from a tail.
This changes everything.
I knew that color. Too light for Pinkie or Twilight. Nope...it was Fluttershy.
How did she know?
===============================================================
(A/N) Sorry about all the dividers.
I flew into Ponyville, my saddlebags full of crumpled newspaper. I couldn't have ponies thinking I was carrying empty saddle bags for nothing. But, below all that sat the strand of hair. Fluttershy's hair.
As I arrived in Ponyville, I noticed two things:
a) Everyone was screaming, including Pinkie, who stopped just to say, "Hiya, Dashie!"
b) Twilight was a giant.
"IT'S OKAY, EVERYPONY," her incredibly loud, slow, booming voice announced to near half of Equestria, "IT WAS JUST A MISHAP. A SPELL GONE WRONG, THAT'S ALL."
Her efforts were in vain. Despite her words, Ponyville citizens were still running and screaming. I face-hoofed.
Okay, I thought. Let's take control of the situation.
I flew over to Twilight, landed on her shoulder, and shouted, "EVERYONE STOP OVERREACTING! SHE ACCIDENTALLY MESSED UP A SPELL, THAT'S ALL! NO NEED TO BE AFRAID!"
Ponies looked up at the loud voice that was not a giant unicorn. They started muttering, and then started slowly walking away.
"Okay, Twi, what happened, and how can you fix it?
"WELL, I--"
"Stop shouting! I wouldn't be surprised if Princess Celestia herself heard the noise all the way in Canterlot!"
"Oh. Okay," Twilight whispered to the best of her ability. "I was testing out a size spell, and, well...it backfired."
"How do we fix it?" I asked.
"I would have been able to do it easily, but it was impossible to concentrate with all those ponies screaming and running about." She paused. "Thanks, Rainbow"
"GIANT TWILIGHT! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Screamed a frantic Pinkie. She then dove behind the door of Sugar Cube Corner.
I sighed. "Can you concentrate now, Twilight?"
She nodded hesitantly. "I...I think. Thanks."
"Did you by any chance see where Fluttershy went?" I questioned.
"Um...yeah. She ran towards her house. She's probably still barricaded in there."
I smiled. "Thanks."
As I flew away, I saw a flash of light. I turned to see Twilight lifting herself off the ground, dazed.
I turned again and flew off.
(A/N) Thanks for the positive feedback! Remember, OC requests are open. Have a great day.
Sincere Allons-y,
Ben
